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June 11, 2014

Recently supporter Jenny Meneses made a
very generous donation to Amazon CARES. When asked why she chose to donate to our
cause, Jenny had the following thoughts to share:

I
am a Peruvian expat, my extended family is Peruvian and I lived in Lima for
several years. Being there I saw the
stray dog problem and was saddened and very frustrated at the time because
there was nothing I could do about. My aunt lived in a part
of town where there were lots of strays, and one day she took in an abandoned
female dog “Millie” left abandoned outside her house. As it turned out, Millie was pregnant. I got
to spend a lot of time with Millie and the pups, took care of them, took them
to the vet, my parents financed taking care of them for a while. However, my aunt could not keep them all, and
we ended up taking Millie and most of the pups to a local shelter. I had grown attached to them, and the thought
of “abandoning them”, not knowing what was to become of them was devastating. This all happened more than seven years ago.

Recently
I came across a young girl (I would guess perhaps between 4th-6th grade)
carrying a poster about stray animals in Guatemala, and she was collecting
money for the cause. It reminded me of
me when I was living in Peru. Back then
I was limited in what I could do help, being financially dependent on my
parents, with no income of my own. Now,
that has changed; I have a job, am self-sufficient and can help financially. Researching online trying to find how I can
help spay/neuter efforts in Peru I found Amazon CARES.

Thank
you for all the hard work you and others at Amazon CARES have put into helping
the dogs. This is a topic I care deeply
about, and your efforts are much appreciated.

Amazon CARES is the first, and only,
domestic animal charity in Peru’s Amazon River Basin. We are also home to the area’s only no-kill
dog shelter. You can help us with our
mission to provide veterinary care for Peru’s dogs and cats by donating today. PayPal: sponsor@amazoncares.org or via
Crowdrise.

June 9, 2014

Alexandra Schroth
volunteered with Amazon CARES in August 2012. She is currently in her second
year of veterinary school at Ross University.

One of my most memorable moments from my
volunteer trip to Iquitos was during the third day. I had a 25 minute conversation with a local
about his dog. I don’t speak a word of
Spanish and he didn’t speak a word of English. The amazing part is that we were still able to
communicate. I could tell that he truly
loved this dog. It’s amazing how the
human race is so universal in their love for the canine race. A dog’s love doesn’t know race, social status,
religion, or sexual orientation.

Do you have any advice
for future volunteers?

Don’t take this time for granted. Immerse yourself fully into the
culture. It was one of the most unique and incredible adventures I’ve ever had
the pleasure of experiencing. Oh, and bring lots of bug spray!

Alex with an adorable patient!

Interested in learning
about upcoming volunteer trips? Contact Molly at molly@amazoncares.org and be
sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for 2015 trip dates.

June 8, 2014

Gart van Gennip recently published “Shamans and Charlatans," a novel based on his experiences living in the Amazon rain forest for eight years. As the owner of a jungle lodge near Iquitos, Peru, Gart has had the opportunity to help organize and take part in many ayahuasca ceremonies. For eight years, he documented his own amazing experiences, as well as those of many of his guests. “Shamans and Charlatans” is the result.

Shamans and Charlatans is the story of Jerry Coburne, a man who travels to Iquitos after having been visited by a shaman in his dreams. In Iquitos, he meets many of the colorful gringos that have made this town their home. One of them is Captain Bill Grimes, of Dawn on the Amazon fame. Many of Jerry’s encounters take place in and around the Dawn on the Amazon Café.

The Iquitos Times said about this book: “'Shamans and Charlatans' is a must-read for anyone who is planning to travel to the Amazon rain forest and for anyone who is interested in the mysterious Ayahuasca vine.” Join Jerry Coburne, the hero of Shamans and Charlatans, on his spiritual quest for truth in the Amazon rain forest.